PhD

When I run project management workshops, there’s always one problem that everyone struggles with: how on earth do you estimate the time needed for each task? Most of us either overlook the complexities of an apparently straightforward activity, or simply forget that it always takes much longer than we imagine. As researchers, we vow to devise a better data-driven solution, but that’ll be for the next project. Time Tracking One of the best solutions I’ve discovered is time tracking. Working on freelance projects, I sometimes need to track billable hours for clients. With time tracking tools like Toggl, you record the start and end time for activities so you can generate reports on exactly how long you spent on that project. Within the project, you use tags or labels to track specific activities, such as emails, meetings, or researching. I use Toggl1 because it’s easy record everything with the desktop timer, which also supports the Pomodoro Technique. Alternatives include Clockify and RescueTime. ...

Here are the resources for my workshop on Project Managing Your Research. Books 📚 How to Lead Smart People by Arun Singh & Mike Mister Making Work Visible by Dominica DeGrandis Slow Productivity by Cal Newport Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just 5 Days by Jake Knapp The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran & Michael Lennington Words that Change Minds by Shelle Rose Charvet Apps 💻 Toggl Focus Trello Resources 🧭 Time Tracking for Researchers: Improve Your Project Management with Data-Driven Planning Risk Assessment Matrix The Eisenhower Matrix The Human Function Curve

The Risk Assessment Matrix is a fundamental (but scary) tool for evaluating and prioritising project risks based on two dimensions: Vertical Axis - Probability: How likely is this event to occur? Horizontal Axis - Impact: If this event does occur, how severe would the consequences be? Or, how much disruption would it cause? The Risk Assessment Matrix As project manager, part of your job is to consider the potential risks and in which quadrant they belong. It’s helpful to already have a breakdown of your project deliverables and tasks before you start. ...

How many times do we make a note to “Work on project”? It’s no wonder we feel overwhelmed and start diligently responding to email instead. Six months later, we’ve got a gold star for responsiveness but have missed that important milestone. Answering emails won’t get you the research funding or the promotion. The answer is to breakdown that project into smaller, actionable tasks. The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) helps you define the total scope of a project by breaking it down from the highest level (the project itself) to the lowest level (individual tasks that can be assigned and tracked). ...

Here are the recommended resources for my workshop on Planning and Structuring Your Literature Review. Books 📚 How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler Writing for Social Scientists by Howard S. Becker How to Write a Thesis by Rowena Murray The Literature Review by Diana Ridley The Unwritten Rules of PhD Research by Gordon Rugg & Marian Petre Writing Science by Joshua Schimel Stylish Academic Writing by Helen Sword Detox Your Writing: Strategies for Doctoral Researchers by Pat Thomson & Barbara Kamler Succeeding with Your Doctorate by Wellington et al Websites 🕸️ The Thesis Whisperer The Academic Phrasebank Videos 📺 James Hayton PhD ...

The PhD viva is a crucial milestone that determines your doctoral success, yet many candidates approach it with a lot of anxiety and not enough preparation. This comprehensive workshop demystifies the viva process and equips you with practical strategies to perform confidently on the day. You’ll learn how to prepare systematically in the months leading up to your viva, from re-reading your thesis strategically to anticipating examiner questions. Through interactive discussions and proven techniques, you’ll develop the skills to articulate your research clearly and defend your work without becoming defensive. ...

A few years ago, I sent a friend a book chapter I’d been working on for months. Desperate for validation, I waited anxiously for a response. As the days passed, I convinced myself he hated it. Obviously, he was putting off telling me how bad it was. Two weeks later, the email arrived … with an attachment. My friend had completely rewritten the chapter. Not only that, he’d used tracked changes in Word, so it was a sea of red. As you can imagine, my heart plunged into my boots. I’d wanted him to say, “Goodness, Catherine, you’ve worked really hard on this. Well done.” As I hadn’t explained my requirement, he’d assumed I wanted extensive editorial input. ...

At the moment, it’s easy to think there’s very little that’s within our control. Unfortunately, we’re right. However, this makes it even more important to focus on what we can control. In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey separates our lives into three concentric circles: control, concern, and influence. The Circle of Control The Circle of Control includes events we control directly. In the Circle of Influence, we find those areas where we have some control but are also partly affected by the behaviour of other people. Finally, the Circle of Concern is everything that affects us, yet we’re powerless to change it: economic uncertainty, in-laws, and spiteful weather. ...

Back in the 1990s, you’d be hard pushed to find an office corkboard without an Eisenhower Matrix pinned to it. Although this time management approach has become slightly unfashionable, it remains a valuable tool for dealing with overwhelm. The Eisenhower Matrix Each of your tasks belongs in one of four quadrants: Quadrant 1 — Urgent and important. Here’s where you place those tasks with a screaming deadline, or unexpected emergencies, such as illnesses or exploding boilers. You have no choice but to deal with this task. ...

The Support-Challenge Matrix was developed by John Blakey and Ian Day and presented in their book, Challenging Coaching. The matrix maps the level of support your supervisor provides against the level of challenge they set for you, and is helpful for thinking about the PhD supervisory relationship. The Support-Challenge Matrix High Challenge + Low Support = Anxiety: Maybe it’s too much, too soon. Your supervisor is expecting you to write a literature review when you haven’t even found out where the toilets are. The task feels overwhelming, but you lack the confidence to ask for help. Awash with imposter feelings, this is evidence that you shouldn’t be doing a PhD. This can happen when a supervisor unconsciously adopts the Persecutor role in the Drama Triangle. Low Challenge + Low Support = Inertia: Nobody’s pushing you or showing you what’s required. You’ve been left to figure it out for yourself, but there are few clues. As Newton famously explained, you’ll be stuck until an external force is exerted upon you. Low Challenge + High Support = Dependency: Although this is a desirable situation in the first month of your PhD, you can’t remain dependent. It’s vital that you become an independent researcher and start solving some tricky problems on your own. A supervisor who encourages dependency might have unconsciously adopted the Rescuer role in the Drama Triangle. High Challenge + High Support = Progress: This is the sweet spot! Your supervisor is challenging you to pursue that research problem and to make your own mistakes, but they’ve got your back in case you experience any major issues. Knowing we have a safety net makes us more willing to take those necessary risks. High Challenge + High Support is a Win-Win, where you get the support you need and your supervisor gets credit for another successful completion. If you feel the balance isn’t quite right in your supervisory relationship, you can use this matrix to initiate a conversation with your supervisor. Yes, it might be an uncomfortable conversation, but it’s the only way to make progress. ...